Chapter 3
Day of Emergence
Akatsuki Hiden
by Shin Towada
Feel free to leave comments :)
Everlasting beauty, transient beauty, each kind of beauty spoke. For that, they also represent their bodies. That- was one artistic combination.
“ I want high quality clay... Hm.”
Smoke was rising around the “plain” again. There was a village in this place only a few minutes ago, and he raised his voice.
It was Deidara who destroyed this village, his golden hair hanging from a high position, looking with his blue eye at the bag that hung around his waist. He originally belonged to the bombing unit in the Hidden Rock Village but the “Akatsuki”, which he was a member now of, took an eye out for him when he was involved in an anti-national bomb attack and brought about terrorism.
Today, he was ordered by the organization to destroy this village. Deidara was supposed to be good at such large scale destruction works.
“....”
Sasori, Deidara’s partner, did the deed of killing the remaining that survived from the explosion, so as to ignore Deidara’s words. It was Sasori’s eleventh puppet Hiruko who was deeply bended and moved to drag his body. Former Hidden Sand’s main body, Sasori, who was praised as a genius modelling specialist of the puppet brigade, was actually inside this Hiruko.The appearance of his main body looked like a boy as he was when Sasori still resided in the village.
“Hey, Sasori my man. Which clay would easily express my art?”
“Ah? Clay?”
Deidara opened both hands to Sasori who reacted this time. Deidara had a tongue licking mouth in each hand. These mouths made clay into detonating clay, converting it into an explosion destroying everything by aesthetically shaping the detonating clay.
Art is an explosion. Deidara always seeked new art.
“It is important to thoroughly review from the foundation to stimulate sensitivity… hm.”
“So, how about accustoming to your clay?”
“If there is clay that would make my art feel more intense, my art should be polished… hm.”
Clay was mixed into both hands to knead chakra, however there were some clays that absorbed chakra quickly while others did not mix well with chakra.
Besides, there were various changes depending on the clay, such as the difference in the power of the explosion. Right now, he was using clay that fit his needs, but accustoming slowed his sensitivity. So, clay was reduced from this mission.
Here was the spirit of resolution, finding new clay and refining art.
“Clay, huh?”
On the other hand, Sasori had also used clay for his puppets.
“There it is… In the land of wind, there is a ‘Village of Ceramics’ which is close to the border of the land of river.”
“Village of Ceramics?”
“The Village of Ceramics is free of ninjutsu. I have also visited a couple of times, but there may be quality clay over there.”
Speaking of ceramics, it was also considered to be art. There might be encounters that would tickle Deidara’s art mind. Thinking that way, he was not able to sit still. Strike while the iron is hot. Deidara put his hands in his bag.
“Alright.”
A bird of a beautiful form was fleshed out from the clay. If thrown with a *pon* and signed with a seal, it quickly grew to a size that people could ride on.
“Let’s go then, Sasori my man.”
When he jumped on the back of the bird and looked back, Sasori complained to him with “Ha? Reporting back to the organization is a priority. Why are you going now?”
“After having decided the job, I need refreshment… hm.”
Sasori was disgusted when Deidara said “I need refreshment”.
However, Sasori was familiar with Deidara’s personality, quietly muttered “It can’t be helped” and rode the bird’s back with a sullen expression.
“Alright, I'm leaving for the Village of Ceramics! Hm! “
The bird spread its wings and jumped swiftly. When Deidara pointed into the direction of the sun, the bird also began flying towards it.
“...Let’s get right to it.”
Sasori felt calm.
“.... Wow, it’s surprisingly crowded, hm!”
It was about four days after leaving the destroyed village. Following Sasori’s suggestion that it was better to avoid the Hidden Sand Village as much as possible, fly over the land of river where the deep forest continued and finally enter the land of the wind. They reached the Village of Ceramics which was surrounded by mountains. It was supposed to be a land with a stoney desert image like the Hidden Sand Village but this place had a lot of greenery and water. The scale was more of a town than a village. It seemed bustling to Deidara who imagined a remote boundary where people were arbitrary. There were chimneys in this village, and smoke was rising from everywhere.
“Sasori, my man, what is that?”
“That is the smoke of a kiln that burns pottery. Here and there, fire is being burned in a kiln.”
“I see...hn? My man, then what is that?”
Now he noticed something glittering in the village, reflecting the sun.
“That is a ceramic tile. The villagers here use pottery for walls and sidewalks too.”
“Wow.”
Pottery tiles decorated the whole village from kilns that constantly raised smoke. There was a building that looked like a shining temple in the center of the village, it was exactly the village of art.
“If I destroy it with my art, it will be beautiful… hm.”
“Hey, don’t forget what you came here for.”
While listening to Sasori’s warning with a disgusted expression, he landed on a miscellaneous forest a little far away from town to avoid eye contact.
“...Hm? What’s wrong with you, Sasori my man?”
Covered with a shade and prepared to head for the village, he noticed that Sasori was looking into a different direction from the village.
“People live here too.”
Looking at it, the forest had some smoke rising. Perhaps there was a kiln that burned pottery.
He was wondering if it was also an old man who disliked the bustle of the village, when he suddenly heard a cracking sound.
And something sounded sharply broken.
“...Huh?”
There was not just one cracking sound, but it kept repeating. Deidara matched his face with Sasori but there was something that tickled in that sound.
“... Sasori my man, I will take a look at it for a moment.”
Deidara ran without waiting for a reply.
There was a miscellaneous forest where Deidara landed on the hillside of the mountain. As he climbed a steep slope, he found a kiln lined up to the lodge on the slope.
“Is that… hm.”
A woman was standing in the vicinity of the kiln. Her age was mid-teens. Her hair was bundled carelessly and her body was covered in soot. Really messy. She had a white acupoint on her hand. She turned that point as a gurgle and exhaled after gazing carefully. Then, she glanced up.
“This is not the ultimate white that I want!”
“....!!”
When she shouted, the woman greatly rocked her hand and unexpectedly beat down the point to the ground. There was a loud cracking noise. There were countless pieces of pottery around her when he saw her. It seemed that this was the identity of the sound.
“... You think art is an explosion! Hm!”
Looking at the sight, Deidara unexpectedly sprang up. Deidara, who also found beauty in destruction, thought that she might also have similar sensitivity to him.
“...?! Who are you?”
Watching Deidara who showed up so suddenly, naturally, the woman was puzzled.
“I also pursue art! You destroyed the work and felt the beauty of the moment, hm!”
“Destruction is beauty…? It is not that.”
The woman immediately denied it.
“I was breaking it…. Because it was a failed work.”
“...are you saying that it all failed?”
As he asked that, Sasori showed up from the miscellaneous forest as he waited. The woman made her lips loose.
“That’s how it is. You are a human being after all. You can go to the village if you want to buy pottery. There are as many of them as there are ‘other people’s tastes’.”
After saying that, she stepped on the mouthpiece of the pottery and went to the workplace behind the kiln. She was unfriendly.
“Before that look at my art, hm!”
Despite being denied, Deidara who felt a selfish feeling of sympathy called the woman and made a small bird with detonating clay.
“Art…?”
“Look closely, hm.”
He brought the small birds closer to her eyes, and then marked them.
- Katsu!
“...Wha!”
He blew them up without blinking, and although the power was weak the girl held her ears in a state of surprise.
“How is it? You felt it, hm!”
As Deidara talked proudly, she said
“It’s a cheesy work.”
“What did you say?? Are you stupid about my art?!”
Deidara instantly spat out angry words. The woman said “I am not stupid” while making a cool face.
“Those who use the word ‘art’ often make strange and complicated works that are difficult to interpret so I thought such work would come out. A simple thing came out contrary to my expectations, and I said it was cheesy. Sorry.”
It was hard to understand whether she was apologizing or not but it seemed like she was reflecting for the time being.
“I like such simple works. I also felt similarity. I do not understand the explosion, but there may be art like that too.”
She spoke impressively. It seemed not all of Deidara’s works were considered good but she showed understanding.
“I am Kanyu. I am living to revive the ultimate ‘Hanasaki’ technique. If flowers do not bloom then all fails.”
As she looked down at the scattered pottery again, Kanyu’s face was distorted with regret.
“If you are someone who pursues art, I don’t know whether you like pottery or not, but you can go to town for the moment. I have to knead soil. See you later.”
And Kanyu disappeared into the workplace.
“‘Ultimate white’ and ‘Hanasaki’ technique… what are those?”
Deidara picked up one rolling ceramic piece and lifted it to the height of his sight. Glaze was painted and the color was a beautiful white. Does it mean more whiter?
“...Oh well, whatever! My man, Let’s always go to town in a place like this! My art is called, hm!”
“You kept me waiting, I will kill you.”
While feeling caught in the words of Kanyu, Deidara passed through the miscellaneous trees, heading for the Village of Ceramics.
“Oh, it really is full of china pottery here, hm.”
Advancing the road paved with colorful ceramic tiles, Deidara looked brightly around. There were many pottery shops in the village and ceramic tiles were stuck to the outside of the shops. The trade merchants who carry big luggage with such exterior tiles were eagerly waiting.
“Hey, my man. Why are they not in the store? Hm.”
Anyway, why not go inside and see the goods?
“...It is troublesome to check each other when there are hundreds of large shops. To save time and effort, they applied the tiles like that.”
“So... what do you mean?”
Sasori further explained to Deidara who swallowed badly.
“That is the owner of the shop… They are pasting the tiles made by ceramists. Sample is that fellow.”
Looking closely, the store had different tile qualities and designs.
“You can roughly imagine the items that deal with the outer wall, hm.”
“It is more strange if you look closely. Besides, the shops that have many ceramists come with tiles in a wide variety.”
The tiles of the outside wall of the store in front of Deidara were sparse. On the other hand, the shop on the other side of the road was big and the tiles were stuck firmly to the outer wall. It was flowing to the shops of the trade merchants.
“It’s a convenient system but these are places that symbolize power, hm.”
“Ha, as a symbol of power? … You are wrong. Take a good look.”
Sasori turned towards the center. There was a huge building.
“A temple... Hm.”
“I guess it looks like that. But it’s not a temple… that is the residence of the village head here.”
Going straight ahead along the way of ceramic tiles, the residence could be reached. Apparently this village was made around the mansion.
“Let’s go… hm.”
They stood in front of the mansion. Ten thousands of tiles were affixed to the outside; Sasori said
“Commonly known as the Ceramics god house. The Village of Ceramics is ruled by this Ceramics family for generations.”
All the tiles were gorgeous. One piece was highly artistic. Apparently it still seemed to be under construction and many tiles were carried to the premises.
“...My man, what do you think?”
The body of Sasori was in the puppet. He felt the main body smile at Deidara’s question.
“It’s a bad taste.”
Deidara said “That’s right.” and nodded.
Not limited to this pottery god mansion. While talking about ceramic tiles in the village and admiring the village for making it possible at first sight, each piece of work that formed was uselessly luxurious, self-assertive and intensely stuck to the nose. Although he saw this pottery god house to strengthen that thought, Sasori saying the words “bad taste” was soothing and refreshing to Deidara’s feelings.
“When I came here first, it was not a bad taste so far.”
“Hm? Was it different before?”
“Yeah. At that time the whole village was continued in a simple white.”
Between the words of Sasori, he remembered the mention of the ultimate white Kanyu was talking about.
“However there are more trading dealers who have come to buy than when I came before and the village is crowded. The village seemed to be enriched.”
“Well, art is fluid… hm.”
He also wanted to see the thimble white village that Sasori had seen but there was no progress in looking back to the works of the past.
“My man, we have to go find clay quickly, hm!”
The village was already nice. He had to find clay for his art.
“...Do not get inside.”
As far as almost everyone in the Akatsuki member was concerned, Deidara and Sasori cannot afford to that case either. The investigation for inundation was not suitable and he killed a few people by the time he found out that the clay used for the pottery of the village was being mined from one of the hills surrounding the village.
“It is a hassle to treat yourself with such things.”
Moreover, the clay at the mining site, which was made by scraping the mountain, did not seem to be able to be pleasantly picked up, and there were several guards at the entrance. The guard was pierced by Hiruko’s tail and rolled. It was difficult for them to say it was peaceful without being noticed by anyone.
“Sasori my man, you also use subordinates.”
As he stepped over the corpse, the road-like cave is continued. He relied on the torches that lit the way and walked behind Sasori.
“There are many usable pieces.”
“That reminds me, you can purchase items for your puppet anyway.”
“I calculate it and put it in order to maximize the function of the puppet. Everything is wrong.”
Deidara shrugged his shoulders when he saw Sasori’s tail swaying.
“Oops, I did not want to make you angry, hm.”
He thought he was getting angry.
“Because I’m fascinated by the overwhelming ability created from washed art and the explosion that destroys everything, it seems that the subordinates are disturbing my art… hm.”
Originally, he wanted free artistic activities. He did not belong anywhere, he would not submit to anything, and he would express his art. And let people around the world recognize it-
However, there was something in his head.
“....”
Deidara held his eye consciously. Something was deeply burned to Deidara’s mind.
Following a brave image on both sides while being illuminated by the backlight, eyes more brilliant than the light--- Itachi with Sharingan. Looking at the eyes that emitted enlightenment as if to seem omnipotent. His art was perfect, Deidara thought. Deidara’s heart rippled every time he thought about those eyes while thinking so. In order to complete his art, it was necessary to overcome them. That is why he did not satisfy himself like this, and he stuck this way with his art. Looking for clay was one of them.
“...That’s right my man. How is that subordinate doing with Orochimaru?”
“Huh? What suddenly happened? You know too, don’t you. I don't’ know what will happen after the operation.”
Sasori sometimes used the brain control technique when making his spies act. This is a technique that shuts down the memory with a small-size needle into the subordinate’s brain, the memory center. Spy investigation is a nervous exhausting fight. If it is long term, the exhaustion may be intense and information leaks often. To live while lying about another person, even more, is unimaginably overly severe. That is why it makes it easier to carry out missions by sealing memory with the technique of sand dementia. And the spy sealed with the technique was under Orochimaru who was a former “Akatsuki”. Among Sasori’s subordinates, he must have been an excellent human being sent to him. Originally, Sasori had been Orochimaru’s partner, and hated him strongly. Orochimaru was originally an abhorrent opponent for Deidara, who also robbed him from free art activities. Because Orochimaru left the “Akatsuki”, the “Akatsuki” began looking for a new member. Even though Orochimaru was marginalized from his surroundings, he was highly praised for his abilities. There was no doubt that he could not be ignored. It seemed that Orochimaru was worried about Itachi. And it’s always about that guy Itachi, Itachi, Itachi. Why were the eyes of that man acknowledged only.
“I will kill Orochimaru with this… hm.”
Sasori did not reply. In this kind of situation, it was better to have more hands. A piece to kill Orochimaru.
“Mm, here, hm.”
They finally arrived at the discovery area. There was a northern broad cave, and a tool for clay was placed.
Deidara took the clay and ate it with his hand and kneaded chakra.
“Yeah, yeah, I see… hm, hm.”
It was a spider that gripped tightly from the exhaled clay. He threw it to the wall of the clay layer. The spider ceased a small scale explosion when he marked it with a sign and yelled
“Katsu!”.
There was a hole in the clay layer which had been stuck, and the clay scattered.
“How is it?”
Deidara twisted his head and looked back to Sasori.
“I feel that my art has not been transmitted… hm.”
Although badly yes, he couldn't feel the power which was overwhelmingly exceeding in the
previous one. In this case it was inconceivable to bring a banter and go home.
“Bad, my man. Even though you led me here… hm.”
Deidara apologized to Sasori, who took him to the Village of Ceramics. Sasori did not reply to him, looking down at the scattered clay.
They already killed a few people, including the watchdog at the probe. If it was a town of this size, it would make a fuss everyday. It was Deidara who was in a hurry to leave quickly because he had already used the cave, but since Sasori said “I have something to confirm” they went back to the village again.
“Where are you going, my man?”
“...”
Proceeding along the path of the colorful ceramics tile was the center of the town, Ceramics god mansion. When recalling Sasori’s words and thinking it was a bad taste in mind, he noticed something was more noisy.
“What the hell?”
Looking carefully, he noticed that some people were troubled.
“Stop killing the work of ‘Hanasaki’ any further! A heritage that was passed down to the Village of Ceramics!”
There was a woman shouting at a man in front of the mansion at the center. It was Kanyu, the first person he met when he came to this village.
“Woah, you entered, Kanyu. The times have changed. The era of Hanasaki is over.”
A plentiful guy who can be said to be the extreme of the bad taste worn everywhere, was wearing extremely colored clothes in contrast to Kanyu, and ceramic accessories that shone in seven colors. He was around forty.
“...Ceramics god Gosho. Perhaps that is the current village leader.”
“That fatty is the head?… hm.”
In Deidara’s hometown, Tsuchikage Onoki who governed the Hidden Rock Village for many years was just an old geezer who lived too long at first glance, but his gifted talent and experience was rich. He was one of the people Deidara was planning to kill. It can be said that he can’t be ignored. And here is the Village of Ceramics. Although he thought that this corresponding person would be doing as much as he could head at this place where various ceramists would be, Gosho’s pottery accessories worn by him shone, there was no such thing as a different leader standing at the top other than himself.
“Look! This mansion! It is more beautiful than the plain and poor ‘Hanasaki’ construction. The town is also reborn as fresh, now it has increased its purchase, and it got rich in moisture! All my skills!”
Gosho raised his hands to show off his power.
“It is not a lack of gorgeous complaints for customers! You abandoned the technique that has been handed down from generation to generation, and it is as if it was not like I can forgive you! What do you think Mayaki would think if he saw this?!”
“Shut up!”
While shouting, Gosho hit Kanyu hard to his annoyance. Kanyu’s thin body flew and hit the ground.
“Huh, Kanyu?”
“Are you okay…”
Residents of the village around who were watching tried to rush to her, but Gosho glared at them.
“I think you can have rich life thanks to me!”
That being said, people’s legs stopped.
“That Mayaki old geezer left the village and disappeared! Now I am the leader! Defiants will be chased from the village!”
People looked at Gosho and muttered a small “sorry” to Kanyu before escaping. Gosho looked down on Kanyu. Kanyu glared back at Gosho.
“‘Hanasaki’ that floats on unspoiled white, was this not a village that loves honorable art…?”
“Nonsense! To think I would somehow love beauty and honor art… Is this a trade show? Will my belly grow with art?”
Gosho kicked Kanyu.
“A human who talks about art has a terrible delusional habit! It’s just a scratch that cannot see reality!”
As soon as Gosho said so, Deidara tried to put his hand in his bag lowered to his waist.
“...Hey, stop it.” Sasori said to Deidara who had a blue line on his temple.
“He’s making fun of art! I’m going to kill him!”
“Do you know where this is? There are many passers-by. Don’t attract unnecessary
attention.”
Deidara hit his tongue harshly to Sasori’s words.
“Kanyu, you are the one who understands herself in this village, a silly woman possessed by the vision of art!”
Gosho swiftly turned with disgust, turning over a warm colored wool and tried to back inside
the mansion.
“...hm.”
Deidara once again put his hands in his bag and made a spider with only his finger joint. Sasori was amazed but said nothing this time. To make it good, Deidara threw the spider on Gosho’s coat, then at the moment he opened the door of the mansion, he yelled “Katsu!”
As soon as it made noise, Gosho’s clothings burned.
“Wha, it is not, ahhhhhh!”
“Gosho-sama!”
Seeing the sudden burned clothes, the men rushed in panic. Gosho who made noise shaking his fat body was comical.
“... You are…!”
Laughing while holding her belly, it seemed that Kanyu had noticed him. She may have thought of him as well as the art Deidara showed her before. She stood up and came up to him.
“... I’m sorry.”
“Ha? I only did it to mess with him.”
Still, Kanyu smiled about seeing Gosho running away into the mansion.
“Now I understand a bit about the goodness of your art. It is refreshing.”
Good things were seen, Kanyu bowed her head in thanks, and tried to leave. Sasori addressed her.
“Hey, little girl. What happened to the ‘burning in full bloom’?”
Kanyu turned over.
“Do you know Mayaki?”
It was an intolerable shout, but she felt a stinging surrounding line and kept silent. She took up the sunlight and looked up to the glowing shrine that glittered even more with a complicated expression on her face.
“It is hard to talk here. Let’s leave the village.”
“Is this made out of pottery… hm?”
It was a shrine located further up from the kiln of Kanyu. It seemed that the name was Ceramics Shinto Shrine, but there was a white torii to look at. Looking closely, it seemed to
be made of pottery.
“Hm…”
And this torii had a pattern that looked like a flower blooming up.
“That is Hanasaki.”
The technique Kanyu was trying to revive. When she told him, Deidara wearing the usually used scope on his left eye, looked at the model.
“....It is a crack, hm.”
Yes, a fine crack was made on the surface of the pottery, which imitated the shape of a flower.
“That’s it. Hanasaki is a technique that creates cracks thinner than a needlepoint on the surface of the pottery like a flower. A small crack becomes a shadow and draws a pattern on white ceramics.”
Kanyu gently touched the torii made of Hanasaki.
“However, it is difficult to create Hanasaki. If the crack is too deep, the pottery will break, and if the crack is too shallow it will not be seen as a flower. Even with lots of knowledge, experience and skill, Hanasaki cannot be established. Mastering Hanasaki’s skills was an honor to no more than anyone in the village....”
Kanyu took her hand off the torii and looked at Sasori.
“I love this Hanasaki technique more than anyone, and the Hanasaki has been more loved than anyone by the predecessor ceramists, Mayaki.”
Kanyu takes out a ceramic pendant from her chest. A flower patter crawled out, crowded on
the surface of a round pottery.
“So, ‘Mayaki of full bloom’... Hm.”
“Yes, he is also a benefactor who took over me after my parents died.
This pendant gave me an abrasive personality when I said I wanted to become a potter. It is also a testimony of the teacher’s teacher, and Mayaki has the same thing.”
Unlike Gosho, this guy seemed to have quite been an engineer.
“By the way, my man, why did you know about the predecessor?”
“... Because my Grandma used Hanasaki pottery for her puppets.”
Hearing Sasori’s words, Kanyu nodded as if a point of interest was told.
“Puppets… I have heard of it. I was asked by the Hidden Sand Village to make a puppet piece. Hanasaki is strong against fire, and the conductivity of chakra is better than anything. The cracks crack though chakra throughout human blood... Although it is difficult to mass produce.”
“I heard that there was only Mayaki who could make parts according to the clients’ request.”
“Yes. His own artistic creativity was the top priority for Mayaki.”
It would have been better to make something that you would like to make rather than asking other people for help.
“It seems to me that Mayaki is tossing away the village by all means.”
“Mayaki did not abandon the village!”
Kanyu made a fist and raised her voice.
"Certainly... indeed ten years ago Mayaki was a bit odd. Said he will abandon the village, said that he will search for a new place, got angry because this village is no good anymore. “
"So did he go somewhere alone, hm?"
"I don't know... One day he suddenly disappeared. It is not only Mayaki who disappeared. Also other potter masters who had the Hanasaki disappeared. One of them gave me a letter saying: ‘I will come back when I find a new place.’ That’s it. It’s already been ten years.”
Kanyu tightly held on to the Hanasaki pendant.
“And then Gosho became village leader. Gosho dislikes Hanasaki and recommended everyone to make gorgeous and luxurious pottery with great reception. It was traded at a high price, the village became wealthy but on the contrary…. the Hanasaki technique quickly disappeared. Now, no one can make the flowers bloom.”
The sun set, trees shook in a cold wind. Kanyu watched the Village of Ceramics spreading at the foot of the mountain. Ascending from the village, smoke was blown into the wind.
“Gosho’s skills are good… but there is no future in this village that chooses money over art. It is right to put an end to leave the village, but I will not go part if Mayaki will come back someday.”
At that point, she apologized for talking about herself for a long time.
“The sun is setting. It might be dangerous to return to your journey. If you do not have a lodging house, you can use my house. There is enough room.”
Deidara looked at Sasori.
“What do you think, my man?”
After Sasori showed nuisance to think for a moment, he answered “I’d like to rent an
accommodation.”
It was unusual for cautious Sasori.
“Okay, I will depend on you, hm.”
Kanyu said “Yes.” while smiling slightly.
Kanyu’s house behind the kiln had a wide space to live alone, giving Deidara and Sasori a room for each. Deidara was on the second floor. If he thought about it, he hadn't been absent from the “Akatsuki” since destroying the village. There was a small desk and a poor bed, but it was enough for him being tired. While taking off his clothes, lying down on the bed with light clothing, Deidara gently rubbed his hands together. There was no need to devise a new concept for an explosion. Perhaps Sasori was also taking care of his “puppets”. Sasori himself was a maintenance person.
“Hm? What is that strange smell… hm?”
Noticing a smell that stuffed his nose, Deidara woke up. He slightly opened the window and smelled from there. Looking out, he could see smoke rising from the kiln. Apparently that smell came from there. Kanyu was in front of the kiln adjusting fire. Deidara opened the window and jumped to the ground from there.
“You are still working… hm.”
“…! Where did you come from? ”
Suddenly seeing Deidara appear behind her, Kanyu was very surprised but quickly returned
her eyes back to the kiln.
“It is said that it’s most difficult to adjust fire to Hanasaki … it is almost finished. I’m keeping my eyes on it.”
The kiln winded red flames. Pottery was being burned here. However, the fire power seemed weak to Deidara who got into explosions.
“It’s better to burn it faster, hm.”
Art is an explosion! Although Deidara spoke hotly, Kanyu said “If you do that the pottery will be shattered. By the way, did you mind not eating?”
Kanyu made a simple meal for Deidara, but Sasori did not eat, he went to his room early.
“Ah, my man is alright. He doesn’t need rice for his art… hm.
”It seems that the inside is a Hidden Sand Shinobi using puppets. Sasori… was it? Is Sasori also a puppet?”
“It is not cool to talk too much about it, but well, that’s it. I am a shinobi pursuing art just like him.”
“It seems that yours and Sasori’s art are quite different.”
“Sort of. But what I am looking for is different. We collide a lot. I can’t really understand his art, hm.”
Kanyu enthusiasts, and powers the firewood.
“Then why are you with him?”
It was probably a simple question. To that question Deidara did not particularly worry.
“Even so, Sasori is an artist and also a respectable person, hm.” He answered.
He did not like being with him, but even so it was Sasori.
“Sasori killed himself, a human being, for his art. Well, as expected there seems to be no more parts to kill… hm.”
Sasori seeked permanent beauty and changed his body into a puppet. There was no human part left, only the nucleus in his chest.
“I see...”
With Deidara’s explanation alone, it would not be able to explain the whole circumstance. Still it seemed there was a feeling in Kanyu.
“You are prepared for it.”
Kanyu exhaled.
“It’s already been 10 years since Mayaki disappeared… Before I knew it, I may have been influenced by this village that gave up art.”
“Art is a fluent thing. Even if I do the same thing everyday, it makes sense, hm.”
Deidara didn’t mind, he got to know Kanyu. Just talked about themselves.
Still, he seemed to have grown attachment towards her and was at loss for words.
“Yawn.. I’m getting sleepy. I will return to my room, hm.”
Deidara who talked about his favourite things killed his yawn and returned home without worrying for Kanyu. This time he entered properly though the entrance and tried to go up the stairs.
“...Deidara.”
Sasori came out of his room as if waiting for Deidara.
“Sasori, my man. What’s wrong?”
“Get ready now. We’re leaving.”
Deidara blinked unexpectedly. Sasori kept on without regard.
“We need to steal clay.”
Deidara laughed for a second, with wide open eyes that twinkled. He was not sleepy anymore.
“I’ll be coming soon, hm.”
“Don’t keep me waiting.”
Art was the energy of Deidara.
They left the house not to be noticed by Kanyu, and the first place they headed to was the Ceramics Shinto Shrine. Sasori looked up at the white torii that seemed to be shining even in the dark.
“It is confirmed.”
From the bottom of his “Akatsuki” clothing, Hiruko’s tail showed up, and he suddenly attacked the torii. The torii made of pottery was destroyed by Hiruko’s tail and crumbled down.
Deidara saw the debris fluttering and it sparklingly shined, he cried out “My man! Why did you not let me do it. Surely, hm.”
“It won’t make sense if you blew it away. Deidara, pick up the debris and touch it.”
“I was thinking I wanted to blow it away with my art.”
“Shut up already.”
While complaining about not being able to get rid of it himself, Deidara picked up one of the debris and traced it with his fingers.
“…!”
There was a pottery feeling on the fingertips. He could somehow imagine the feeling when this was still clay. Even that would have been such fine clay so that it was not comparable to the clay that was in the mining site.
“My man, this…”
Sasori confidently laughed through his nose, looking at the village where smoke ascended.
“In order to protect the village they sacrificed anything but do not believe anyone else at all, Grandma admitted it was Hanasaki. Of course materials are also determined to the highest. ”
“So there are other clay mining sites… hm.”
Then where was it? Sasori’s eyes were directed at the village to Deidara’s doubt. No, at the
center of the town to be exact. Smoke was rising from there as well.
“Deidara, do you think you can make something good for those who make fun of art?”
-Gosho’s skills look good. He recalled Kanyu’s words. It got so ridiculous now that it became a furious discomfort.
“There are things that can be done to some extent if the material is good.”
Sasori was reading from every word of Kanyu.
“So… the work of that person is a big deal, hm!”
The light of the lantern made of pottery was quietly illuminating the village. Following the light, they stepped on the path of the glowing tile, and the Ceramics god mansion came to sight. Deidara, who stood in front of the gorgeous gate, grinned. Finally he could do art at free will.
“Let’s go, art is an explosion!”
The one who jumped out of Deidara’s hand was a detonating clay that exploded into the shape of a little lovely bird. It flew into the gate and snapped at once.
---Katsu!!
The bird exploded at the edge of the gate. The art of another work sublimated momentarily with the power of Deidara’s art.
“This is art… hm!”
“What was that?!”
Immediately the guards of the mansion came out running. There seemed to be only money, and he seemed to have hired shinobi.
“What are you!”
The guard who found Deidara came charging with Kunai.
“Hn.”
Then, thin chakra strings jumped out of Sasori’s “Akatsuki” clothing. It stuck to the guard who came across.
“Hey.”
Sasori slightly moved the chakra strings,and with a leap, the guard was beaten down to the ground.
“This is the end.”
He manipulated the guard to watch himself stab his throat with a kunai.
“What is going on?”
Watching the sudden self-perpetration by a group, other guards cleared.
“If you don’t look at it, you can’t see my art.”
Then Deidara threw spiders at the other guards.
--Katsu!!
A body blew away with the blast. The shinobi who originally did not have great courage originally due to the overwhelming power difference trembled and ran away.
“Deidara, there must be a workshop of ceramics pottery in the center of the ceramics mansion. Don’t detour. Blow it up properly and make a way.”
“There’s nothing suitable for art, hm!”
The place broke through the frontal area. Deidara put his hands in his bag.
“... What does this mean…”
Immediately after hearing the grand sound of destruction from the direction of the Ceramics Shinto Shrine, Kanyu came running to see what happened, and saw the destroyed Hanasaki torii.
Stunned and not understanding the reason, an explosion sounded from the direction of the town this time. When looking at the center of the village, fire was rising from the Ceramics god house.
“No way…”
Kanyu rushed down from the shrine and jumped into the house.
“Not here…. Not here!”
The rooms seemed to be deserted. In the meantime, a new explosion sounded from the town.
“...Ah.”
Kanyu pursed her lips and ran towards the town.
“Is this a workshop?”
A sudden raid attack inside the mansion. The servants screamed and ran away. There was no one in this workshop, clay was being discharged from the doorkor.
“Maybe this is it… hm.”
Deidara stood in front of the muffler and pushed his palm against the clay. The mouth on his hand ate the clay with munching sound. It felt different from the usual. Sensation of chakra was kneaded in. Grasping the explosive clay that came out and smoothed in over the sound edges if molded.
“It came up… hm.”
Deidara’s body trembled with excitement. He made a C1 spider type, but what he usually did.
“My man! You can compare this clay with the one I always make! A smoother curve enhances deformed beauty to the utmost limit. This is an art revolution, hm!”
Deidara cried out with the spider, but Sasori did not look at Deidara but dropped out the workplace shelves one after another using Hiruko’s tail.
“My man, my art…”
Despite Deidara who wanted to convey the merit of his art, Sasori said “I’m not interested” without hesitation.
“What do you mean not interested, hm?!”
Deidara shouted that the fuse line was not short, at all.
Ignoring that, Sasori seemed to be looking for something. On the shelves which were now scattered on the floor, was a scroll with information about crafts.
Sasori said “ This is it.”
Finding scrolls with somewhat challenging drug formation, Hiruko stopped on the shelf.
“...Secret message about glaze?”
Glaze used on china pottery like Kanyu did. A glaze is like a paint that gives luster to the surface of ceramics. Sasori seemed to be free, but he put the scroll into his garment.
“There are things that can be poisoned depending the glaze ingredients. The village of ceramics is most familiar thing including the dangers of such glazes. Among them, it is said that there was a secret of glazes in the ceramics house with the oldest history.”
Because Sasori put poison in his puppets, he had a deep knowledge about poison. Poison always comes with an antidote. If he did not constantly create new poison, the poison would not be effective. Therefore, he was interested in the toxicity of the glaze.
“Sasori my man, was this perhaps the purpose from the beginning?”
“ I guess I only moved because of you.”
Somehow it seemed like he had a blue line on the temple, and a revolutionary spider on Deidara’s hand.
“My man, my purpose is not yet achieved! We have to find out the existence of this clay...
hm!”
There must be an exploration site to this clay somewhere. The flame from the blast was increasingly gaining momentum. Firefighting was meaningless. He continued going inside without hurrying, saying “I want to find that Gosho guy, hm.”
“As expected, he is not in the mansion, hm.”
“He will be roasted pork.”
Talking about that, feet turned in the garden.
“....!”
Then, something crossed the field of his vision.
“My man, there!”
Looking more closely, a man with a busy figure jumped out of the mansion, entered the garden and ran to the back of the site.
“My man, it’s Gosho, hm!”
He tried to stop his movement by throwing this revolutionary spider, but Sasori said “Wait.
The movement is suspicious. I will do the rest.”
“He stands out, hm!”
It was difficult to lose sight of his round body that ran with heavy footsteps. And his feet were desperately slow. Though it came down to him, Sasori was short-tempered by too much tears and muttered “I will kill.”
The next thing Deidara said “My man, did you kill him yet, hm!”
“Did you finally get it?”
At last, Gosho’s movement stopped in the corner of the vast grounds. There was a small torii which was not as high as knee length. Because the color was white and shiny, it probably was made of Hanasaki porcelain just like the torii that was in the Ceramist Shinto Shrine. Then, Gosho started to watch out for them. Deidara, who thought it was suspicious, gazed through his scope on his left eye. Then immediately near the torii, he found an iron entrance that seemed to be hidden in grass.
“My man, this is probably the entrance to the exploration site, hm!”
There was clay. Deidara confidently ran to it. He knew the place. There was no need to wait anymore.
“Well, there was something I wanted to tell you… hm.”
Deidara appeared so suddenly, surprising Gosho.
“What are you!”
-What is art! Will my belly grow with art!
-Those who talk about art are terribly delusional! It’s just a scratch that can't see reality!
Gosho spoke words that disrespected art. Deidara who loved art and lived in art could not forgive this.
“How cool will it be. Well, isn’t art… hm.”
Deidara threw a spider at Gosho. A detonating clay that drew a gentle object line and flew. Gosho opened his mouth looking at it. Deidara held two fingers in front of his nose bridge.
“It’s an explosion!!!”
-Katsu!!!
This village's fine clay, the crafting clay began to flash and burst. It’s powers were not comparable to what he used before. Hot wind reached the position where Deidara stood.
“Ha, Succeeded, hm!”
“Hey, this door has been sealed and will not open.”
Sasori went by looking at the iron door following the underground where the grass burned out, just beside the torii that was caught in the explosion and had no trace left.
In a hurry, he saw countless tags on the door and even he did not get burnt while receiving the blast.
“Sealing technique?! Why does a ninjutsu free village have such thing?”
“For such a house that has continued from long ago, even if you can’t use ninjutsu, they were making a special skill.”
Sasori said while reading.
“Apparently this seems to be the seal that only Ceramic Shintoists can open and close.”
“... Thing is… ”
“This door will not open.”
“...”
“...”
A rainy silence flowed between the two of them. But Deidara would not lose.
“... Coming so far by hand, the soul of my art won’t stay silent, hm!”
He ate the clay found in the workshop of the Ceramic god mansion, this time with a lot more chakra.
“My eighteenth, C2 Dragon, hm!”
Deidara was able to use the amount of chakra kneaded in clay according to the situation.
Deidara jumped on the back of the dragon.
“My man, jump on!”
Sasori rode behind Deidara. This time, he tried to fly into the sky.
“... Deidara, Sasori!”
Kanyu entered the mansion which had already been torn apart by them. She glared at
Deidara.
“You did this by all means… why?”
“Noisy.” Sasori interrupted Kanyu. “You are clinging to this village as an excuse for Mayaki’s duty.”
“...!”
“It is evident that you came to a non-conforming place. You chose this falling village rather than art… it is stupid.”
Kanyu was poorly pointed out by Sasori and could not reply.
“Let’s go, Deidara.”
As told, Deidara spread the wings of the dragon.
“... Wrong.”
Kanyu seized her first and lifted her face.
“I just can’t forgive you for breaking a work of Hanasaki!”
Perhaps she was talking about the torii of the Ceramists Shrine.
“That’s why I came here! Because you hurt a thing precious to me!”
Maybe, it was just a bluff. Still there was a strong will as an artist in the eyes of Kanyu.
“Then it would be better to get away from here… hm.”
At the same time as Deidara said so, the dragon emerged.
“Because the beauty of Hanasaki may disappear forever… hm.”
It seemed that Kanyu did not immediately understand what Deidara was saying. However, she understood by swallowing the words.
“....”
Kanyu distorted her expression, turned her back on Deidara and ran away. The dragon slowly rose to the sky.
“I owe her my gratitude for the lodging and meal, hm.”
“I left home before taking a rest, and I almost ate food.”
He would like to say he did not owe anything to Kanyu. Deidara laughed at Sasori through his
nose.
“My man, you are bad for breaking the torii, hm.”
“Ah? Why is that?”
The long tail of the dragon shook. While looking down at the town with his left eye scope, Deidara said
“I’m not even sure if I want to blow up the Hanasaki… hm.”
When Sasori broke the big white torii, white flowers were scattered and it was art. If Deidara exploded it, it would have been sublimed even more beautifully. Deidara wanted to see it. That is why- he needed a creator. He looked down from the sky to the Village of Ceramics. The ceramics god mansion in the center was burning red and was illuminating the town’s ceramic tiles with red. The scenery of the village in irrational coloring with no sense of unity dyed in a red color was beautiful.
The long tail of the dragon suddenly shrunk so as to sink it inside. The clay of the tail went through the body of the dragon, it was shaped into another form and looked out of the dragon’s mouth.
“Now, I am satisfied with this… hm.”
The newly dragged out dragon spread its wings towards the ceramic god mansion.
“Wow…”
Kanyu was running with full speed without rest from the Ceramics god mansion, wiped her sweat and stood in front of her own kiln. In fact, she should flee farther. But in the kiln was the work that she made. As usual it may be a failure. But still, she did not want to run away from here. The sky of the Village of Ceramics burned red, and there was a dragon far in the sky.
“...!”
A new dragon was created from the dragon’s mouth. The dragon flew to the center of the village. Kanyu resolved to prepare and closed her eyes.
--Katsu!!!
A shock wave like a roaring sound she had never heard before was destroying the air.
“...hm!”
Something was destroyed and crushed. Enormous energy that took away everything. It was the ultimate beauty that ended only at a moment and could only be seen in a moment. Deidara was convinced every time he saw this.
“Art is an explosion!”
The blast reached the place of Kanyu, and the fire in the kiln went crazy.
The village that prospered as a village of art was now only a mountain of rubble. As flames smoked out, there was a deep and large cavity in the place once called ceramics god mansion.
It was now a hole molded by an explosion.
“... Awesome, hm.”
Deidara made a round-roof look around the dragon that landed on the cavity. There was a huge exploration place in the basement of Ceramics god mansion. Gosho probably burned away from the fire, so he had probably tried to evacuate here.
“Finally, I found it, hm!”
Deep in the ground, clay was placed. Deidara took the clay and confirmed it by eating it
with his hands. Chakra kneaded quickly, tension arose inspiration. It was exactly fine clay. However, Deidara dropped his shoulders once again seeing the exploration site.
“Hey, my man. The clay is too little, hm.”
That’s right. He finally found this mining site. But the amount of clay was not large. When he was looking for the prospecting places where clay was stored, he finally found a hidden room in this confusing place.
“I don’t have to see it in such place, hm!”
Tearfully looking inside, he made his eyes unexpectedly round.
“... my man, my man, just a moment, hm!”
“Ah?”
Deidara did not lend a hand to the search and called Sasori who was looking at the secret text of the glaze that was drawn from the ceramics shrine.
“It’s a skull mountain, hm.”
There were a number of white corpses.
“...”
Sasori observed it carefully and stretched out his tail together as a result of noticing something. The tail picked up the necklace that was on the neck of the skull, toughly robbed it. The skull rolled.
“What, my man. Did you want it, hm?”
“Take a look.”
A necklace was presented to Deidara who tilted his neck. There was a round pottery pendant on it. It was fine and shiny, and the flowers were in full bloom. He had some familiarity to it.
“... Kanyu was the one who had it, hm.”
“Thing is this skull…”
Looking at the rolling skull, Deidara recalled his name.
“It was ‘Mayaki of Full Bloom’, hm.”
Kanyu said that this pendant was a testimony of a teacher.
“There is also an inscription of Mayaki on the back. There is no mistake.”
When Sasori left the concealed room, he again dug deep into the ground and looked over the exploratory site again.
“... Originally it may have been getting less.”
“Hm? What does that mean, my man?”
Sasori breathed a single breath.
“Human beings generally reside the place where there are necessary resources to live in. Water or food is a good example, but here is the village of pottery. It would have developed as a residential village in a place where all the things necessary for making ceramics are available. In short, this clay. However, over the years it may have been using the resources.”
If he looked from the ground from here, it was far deeper.
“Probably the Hanasaki technique will not be realized without this clay. So Mayaki is not saying that you should abandon the village and and aim for a new place.”
“Also it was the son Gosho who disagreed, hm.”
Decorating the town with a bad taste and remembering the appearance of Gosho, which was wearing glittery decorations.
“It is an advanced blossoming technique, but it is for either professional. People like gay and luxurious goods. The girl said that the excellent Hanasaki potter disappeared with Gosho, but Gosho sealed the Hanasaki and his own father for self-interest. It is a bad party.”
Sasori said that Gosho should be made a fool of. For some reason, Sasori seemed irritated. He asked himself if there was something on his mind to wonder about that made Gosho kill his intermediate family. However, Sasori immediately returned to normal.
“Well, even if he did, the clay here is a luxury item. They used it for their own pottery. Besides he used ordinary clay for the other guys, and made the village prosperous by transforming it into a gorgeous thing. In a sense, I guess he was a good guy.”
Sasori was short-tempered, but there was also a point somewhere it could be overlooked. Gosho seemed to be evaluated and brought to an objective. However, Deidara was not interested in money making and the prosperity of the village. It was another thing that caught him.
“Well then, did the Hanasaki disappear now, hm?”
Deidara was going to bring all the clay here. Even so, there was no desired amount, but the clay necessary to make Hanasaki disappeared.
“Now, I don’t know. However...”
“However?”
“... It seems that she did not give up on the ‘burning in full bloom’.”
Indeed, that girl-
Waking up was caused by pain. She realized she was alive because of the pain.
“Huh…?”
Kanyu held her head up. At her back was a stack of leaves that could have been blown from the woods around the house. Apparently this branch of leaves absorbed the impact.
“... My work!”
The first thing she thought about was the pottery in the kiln. As the surrounding landscape had changed, Kanyu looked for the kiln.
“Ah, there!”
When she found the rising smoke, she dragged her body and approached the broken kiln. All pottery in it was also broken. Kanyu sat on the spot.
“...?”
However, she noticed that the broken pottery was shining white. She also saw an engraved pattern. Kanyu teared off the clothes she was wearing, round her hands and picked up the pieces that still had heat from the kiln.
“This is…”
There, a beautiful flower pattern emerged. This was the ultimate white “Hanasaki”.
“Stupid, how come…?”
-It’s better to burn it faster, hm.
She recalled Deidara’s words. At the same time, she was inspired by the blast and thought of the burning kiln.
“Okay, you do intentionally make cracks with a high temperature at a stroke!”
Taking care of the pottery too much, it had not been possible for Kanyu to make a momentum for fire. That was not good. It had to be burning with enough momentum to explode. The clay seemed to have been unable to withstand this high temperature, but it was a great step for Kanyu.
“Soil... even if I find clay that can withstand high temperatures...”
There was a voice to revive again. It was called burning in full bloom, and it is was Mayaki’s word that left the Hanasaki as wanted. She wished she had waited for the day returned Mayaki to this village.
-Kanyu, no matter how old it is, because of art, the eagle will go looking for new ground!
Holding the fragments engraved with flowers tightly, Kanyu spilled tears. Something fell from the top of Kanyu, and it was immediately beside her with a *Kaching* sound. There was a pendant that broke to the impact when she looked. Kanyu was familiar with it. Mayaki told her that it was proof of a teacher.
“Why?”
Kanyu clasped it and looked to the sky. There was a dragon that made its wings wide and flew away. She couldn’t see from there but Deidara and Sasori were on its back. Kanyu picked up the fragments in the kiln and the broken pendant with both hands and stood up.
“You made sure to let me revive the Hanasaki technique!”
The dragon did not react and flew higher and higher.
The art of pursuing yourself may be violence against someone in a sense. Perhaps a too strong individuality may not be able to gain understanding of others. Still, they moved on their way. It seemed that those two lives emerged on the back of the dragon that flew high in the sky.